Strategic Partnerships Lead - Adaptive

Strategic Partnerships Lead

Company: Adaptive Insurance

Reports to: Head of Growth & Business Development

Location: Austin (Bee Cave), TX

Job Type: Full time

About Adaptive

We are pioneering climate resilience by harnessing AI, data, technology, and insurance to help our customers analyze, act, and adapt to emerging risks. We're starting with specialty insurance solutions like GridProtect, our parametric power outage coverage for short-duration outages, and Deductible Buy-Back, supplemental coverage for commercial and residential clients with high exposure to wind and hail deductible risk. Find out more at adaptiveinsurance.com.

About the Role

Adaptive is looking for a Partner Manager who is energized by building relationships, driving results through others, and serving as a connective bridge between our external partners and our internal team. This is a new role that is highly visible, externally-facing and sits at the heart of our growth strategy.

You will own the success of Adaptive's most important partner relationships defining joint goals, ensuring partners have what they need to succeed, and holding both sides accountable to outcomes. Equally important, you will bring the partner's perspective inside the building: their feedback, their needs, and their market insights should shape what we build and how we grow. If you love cultivating relationships, working across teams, and turning partnerships into tangible business results, this role is for you.

Key Responsibilities

Partner Relationship Management

Serve as the primary point of contact for Adaptive's key partners, building deep, trust-based relationships that drive long-term mutual success

Define joint goals and success metrics with each partner, and hold regular business reviews to track progress and address challenges

Proactively identify opportunities to deepen partnerships expanding scope, volume, or co-marketing efforts and work cross-functionally to bring them to life

Resolve partner issues and escalations quickly and effectively, maintaining a high bar for the partner experience

Voice of the Partner

Serve as the internal champion for our partners, bringing their outside-in perspectives into product, operations, marketing, and leadership conversations

Synthesize partner feedback into clear, actionable insights that inform what we build, why we build it, and how we go to market

Identify patterns and signals across the partner base that surface strategic opportunities or risks for the business

Go-to-Market & Partner Acquisition

Support the design and execution of go-to-market initiatives in partnership with the Head of Growth & Business Development

Identify and qualify prospective new partners, supporting outreach and early-stage relationship development to expand Adaptive's partner network

Collaborate with marketing and distribution to develop partner-facing materials, messaging, and enablement resources

Events & Industry Presence

Represent Adaptive at key industry conferences, trade events, and partner meetings throughout the year, requiring occasional travel

Prepare thoughtfully for external engagements, acting as a credible and enthusiastic ambassador for Adaptive's mission and products

Capture and share learnings from the field to inform our market positioning and competitive awareness

What We're Looking For

4+ years of experience in partner management, business development, account management, or a related externally-facing role

Relationship-first mentality: you build trust quickly, communicate with clarity, and know how to manage partners through both growth and adversity

Strong commercial instincts: you understand what makes a partnership valuable for both sides and know how to structure engagements for mutual success

Excellent communication skills: you're equally comfortable in a one-on-one partner conversation, an internal stakeholder meeting, or presenting at an industry event

Organized and accountable: you track commitments, follow through consistently, and don't let things fall through the cracks

Curious and insight-driven: you listen deeply to partners and translate what you hear into meaningful input for the business

Comfortable with ambiguity: you thrive in an early-stage environment where processes are still being built and priorities can shift

Bonus Qualifications

Experience in insurtech, fintech, or climate

Background working with insurance distribution partners, agents, brokers, or wholesalers

Exposure to go-to-market or product strategy in a high-growth environment

MBA or equivalent advanced degree

Prior experience at an early-stage startup

You'll Excel in This Role Because

You're energized by people: building and maintaining relationships is something you do naturally and love

You think like an owner: you care about outcomes, not just activity, and hold yourself accountable to results

You're a connector: you see how partner insights should connect to product decisions, marketing, and strategy and you make that happen

You're scrappy and resourceful: you get things done with the resources available and don't wait for perfect conditions

You represent us well: you show up prepared, professional, and genuinely enthusiastic about what Adaptive is building

What We Offer

Competitive salary and equity: you'll have a real stake in what we're building

Direct impact: your relationships and the insights you bring in will directly shape our products and our growth

Learning and growth: exposure to all aspects of building a business, from distribution strategy to product development

Autonomy and ownership: we hire smart people and trust them to do great work

Additional benefits: 401(k), company-paid health benefits, and PTO

Adaptive is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone on our team.